Botanical Tulip (botanical style)

Tulips belong to the genus Tulipa, in the lily family, and grow wild from Turkey across Central Asia. They reached western Europe from the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century and set off the Dutch tulip mania of the 1630s, when single bulbs changed hands for huge sums. The most prized flowers were 'broken', feathered and flamed in two colours. Nobody knew then that a virus spread by aphids caused the pattern, and painters recorded each one for collectors.

In a British garden, tulips are the last bulbs to go in. Plant them in October or November, since late planting helps them avoid tulip fire, a fungal disease. Set them at two to three times their own depth in well-drained soil and full sun; they also do well in deep pots. They'll flower in April and May. Afterwards, snap off the seed heads and let the leaves die back for about six weeks. Many showy hybrids fade after a year, so plenty of gardeners plant fresh bulbs each autumn.

Here a single tulip, striped red and cream, stands above its bulb and roots, all set on a cream ground. Striped petals echo the broken tulips that collectors once fought over, and drawing the bulb too shows the whole plant, the way old botanical plates did. It's the flower and its source in one view.